Council approves painting decorative Main Street light poles; estimate $147,074

The City Council on Aug. 19 approved a $147,074.40 addendum to move forward with recoating and restoring decorative light poles along Main Street after staff presented a contractor quote and explained alternatives.

Public works staff said replacement of Edison‑owned decorative poles with new concrete poles would run roughly $10,000 per pole (about $940,000 to replace all), while recoating the existing poles with a three‑coat system was estimated at about $1,500 per pole and produced the reduced quote shared with council. Staff noted the project was separate from the city‑owned traffic signal and bollard repainting previously completed under the Main Street rehabilitation contract and that Southern California Edison approvals were required because Edison owns the decorative poles.

Council discussed schedule and durability. Public works said a proper blast/prime/intermediate/top‑coat system should produce a true black finish that lasts roughly seven to 10 years, and suggested regular top‑coat refreshes could extend that life and save money. Vice Mayor McCurvey asked council to require a schedule that would complete work before the city’s Veterans Day parade (Nov. 11); the council approved the addendum with direction reflecting that timeline if feasible and otherwise to consider an open-bid approach. The motion passed 3–1.

Staff will work with the contractor and Edison to finalize the schedule and return with contract documents and any necessary easement/utility coordination.